Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook Uncorrected Proof Review

Maybe I'm too late. Maybe Zoe's dad stole all her fifteen years and taught her to be scared. I'll undo it. Help her learn to be strong again, and brave. Not that I'm any kind of example, but we can learn together.

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can't run fast enough.

Zoe

Maybe it'll take Will years to come to terms with being abandoned. Maybe it'll take forever. I'll stay with him no matter how long it takes to prove that people don't always leave, don't always give up on you.

A truly tragic and romantic story of two teenagers running from their pasts. Zoe witnessed her father kill her mother when she was six years old, and became her father's new punching bag since her death. Will, custody of the state has never had anyone in the world who really loved him. These two find the love they both need in each other and run from the law as they fight for each other.

Strengths/Likes:

1) Will and Zoe's relationship. Although they are young and have been together for a short period of time, these two characters share a love that many of us can only dream about. It's not all about romance, it's about saving each other from the people that have hurt them.

2) Split point of view. In general, I'm not a fan of this style but I felt that it was well executed in this novel. I really got to know the characters and know their voices, thoughts, and emotions.

3) Voice. Halbrook has created strong voices for both of these characters. They are distinct and real. This is a very difficult thing to pull off as a writer. What impresses me the most is how well Halbrook writes Will's POV. I've read many novels written by female authors, and I always find that the men sound more like women. However this is not the case in this novel.

4) From the first page this book grabs your attention. I was instantly in love with the couple and wanted to know more about them and how were they going to make it all work out.

Weaknesses/Dislikes:

1) It makes sense to me that this story is about young, emotionally damaged teenagers; therefore, I know that all the stupid mistakes that are made are supposed to be attributed to their age and stress. That being said, I felt like there was too many stupid mistakes made by the characters that lead to their downfall. When Will leaves his wallet at the diner because he is in such a hurry to not be discovered, I felt that if he would have walked out calmly, taken his wallet so they would not have his ID, that they would have had a better chance. What I wanted most was that the characters escaped in a smart, clever ways, and them to be caught on a technicality.

2) I felt that the ending was rushed. I'm also not sure why Will shoots the gun. What did he think he was going to accomplish? I know he was under a lot of emotional stress but I just felt that the author put this in so the police would have to react. Especially since Will's bullet does not hit anyone, I felt that the author needed a certain end and wasn't sure how to make that happen.

Favorite quotes/moments:

"Yes, I tell her silently, yes, you can be pissed at me for saying that, for cutting you off, for bringing you here, for putting you in this situation. You can be as angry as you want, hate me more than anyone's ever hated and yell till you're hoarse. All you want. I'm so sorry. This is the best I can do right now. Just don't leave" (210).

"No, I mean. . . . . I love you. I thought I loved you before we left. And a couple of days ago I thought that, too . . . but what I feel now is bigger. The kind of bigger that makes me want to do the right thing. You make me need to do the right thing" (259).

"She wants someone, finally, to take care of her. Make her the best thing in thing in their life. I cup her face and kiss her before she can think too hard about why she shouldn't do this" (14).

"'You. Are. Beautiful.' His arms are strong and tight around me. Desperate, even. 'Don't ever say you're nothing but beautiful, understand? This--' He touches my lip, my eye. "This will fade and you heart will heal and you'll never have to worry about hiding nothing ever again. Understand?'" (24).